In their own words · Digital Nomad · Lisbon
How Maya J. rebased her design studio to Lisbon on the D8 visa in 11 weeks.
Maya Jenkins, 34
Independent product designer · Brooklyn, NY → Alfama, Lisbon · D8 visa granted March 2026
Interview by the Travel Dialog editors · Published July 2026
In their own words · Digital nomad · Lisbon
Ana Reis rebased her three-person product team from Amsterdam to Lisbon in the spring of 2026. Setup budget was €5,200, mostly consulate fees, a Portuguese fiscal representative, and a two-month deposit on an Estrela one-bedroom. She now pays €2,300 a month for everything including a hot desk. We asked her what she would tell a friend.
Travel Dialog: Why Lisbon?
Rent, and English at the doctor’s office. Amsterdam had priced my team out of the office we liked, and I wanted a base where I could hire without moving people twice. Lisbon does both.
What did the D8 paperwork actually look like?
Fourteen weeks from "let me look into this" to the residency card. The FBI-equivalent check from Netherlands took six of those. The apostille took two. The consulate appointment in The Hague was the last thing I booked and it should have been the first.
Book the consulate appointment first. Everything else stretches to fit; that one date does not.
Ana Reis, Portugal D8 visa, granted April 2026
Where did you land?
Estrela. One-bedroom in a 1930s building, €1,150 a month with a six-month lease. Flat street, the 25 tram at the door, the Estrela Basilica across the road. My knees are grateful I did not do Alfama.
Real monthly budget?
€2,300 covers rent, utilities, groceries, SafetyWing insurance at €48 a month, a hot desk at LACS Anjos at €220 a month, and eating out about three times a week. Ubers I do not budget; they are €5 to €9 across town.
Biggest surprise?
How much of the day I spend on my feet. In Amsterdam I biked; here I walk. My step count doubled and my back stopped hurting in month two. I was not expecting that trade.
What would you tell a friend?
Pay for the fiscal representative; it is €100 and it is the difference between a NIF number arriving in a week and arriving in six. And do not sign a 12-month lease sight-unseen. A three-month rental gives you time to walk the neighborhoods before you commit.
- Consulate appointment first, paperwork second. The reverse order costs two months.
- NIF via fiscal representative online: €100 and one afternoon. Skip the in-person route.
- Estrela if flat matters; Alfama if the view matters more than your knees.
- SafetyWing at €48 a month cleared the D8 insurance requirement.
Related reading
- Lisbon guide, from six of our interviewees
- Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (D8)
- First nomad visa application, step by step
The editorial team
Named editors, real bylines.
Elena Martz
Editor in chief
Ten years at Roads and Kingdoms and Afar. Runs interviewing cadence. Based Brooklyn, New York.
Priya Bhandari
Destinations editor
Former Lonely Planet contributing writer. Writes the destination deep-dives that cite our interviews. Lisbon-based.
Jonas Reid
Planning editor
Digital-nomad visas and practical planning. Filed the Portugal D8 himself in 2024. Verifies every visa page every six months.
